The mating of echinoderms
is simple and of passing pleasure:
one has eggs, the other sperms
to liberate in equal measure
No courtship, no seductive charms,
no mouth to mouth, and no embracing,
for all their suckers and their arms
create problems interfacing
After they part, echinoderms
pass time in hunting, or at leisure
There are no prenuptial terms,
no divorce laws to split their treasure
Free to mate throughout the sea
Good system. Well, makes sense to me
is a retired British diplomat who lives in the UK. His scientific papers are published in Nature and elsewhere; his long-form poetry in The Oxford Magazine and Linnet’s Wings; his cherita in The Cherita; and his haiku and related short forms in Blithe Spirit, Cattails, Cold Moon Journal, Failed Haiku, Heliosparrow, Mambu, Presence, Prune Juice, The Asahi Shimbun, Wales Haiku Journal, World Haiku Review, and at The Haiku Foundation. His work has been anthologized in the Red Moon Anthologies of haiku and haibun, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Touchstone Awards.
Evetts is listed among the European Top 100 Haiku Authors in 2021, and hosts the weekly haiku commentary feature at The Haiku Foundation. He’s married, with five children, a grey parrot, and a sense of humour.
